Even though I'm not a horror fan, Netflix's new high-concept thriller Don't Move was a movie I couldn't wait to see. The two nail-biting trailers were enough to have me paralyzed with fear, but with the legendary Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi producing this horror thriller, I was willing to be scared stiff just this once.
Raimi was one of the producers behind Don't Move and he's no stranger to creating breathless thrillers. Funny enough, Raimi produced the intense Don't Breathe in 2016, which follows three home intruders who get trapped inside a blind man's house. Don't Breathe literally had me on the edge of my seat with its heart-pounding terror, but Don't Move failed to do the one thing I hoped for: have me crippled with fright. But this doesn't stop it from being a punchy killer thriller with many pulse-raising moments that both horror and non-horror fans will enjoy this Halloween Week and beyond.
In Don't Move, Raimi turns his attention to the element of movement – or rather the limitations of it – as it deals with the horrifying effects of paralysis. At the start of the film, we meet grieving mother Iris (Kelsey Asbille) who is considering suicide after the loss of her young son. Just as Iris stands on the edge of a cliff, a stranger (Finn Wittrock) convinces her not to jump by sharing his own story of a major loss he's suffered. However, it's all a deception to lure her in before he injects her with a drug that will paralyze her in 20 minutes. This soon kicks off a desperate fight for survival as her body starts to completely shut down while the killer is chasing her in the remote woods.
A spine-chilling thriller
Directors Adam Schindler and Brian Netto have some nifty tricks up their sleeves when it comes to high-stakes thrills that keep the audience engaged throughout the brisk 85-minute runtime. Iris' nightmare sees her battle an ants' nest, ferocious rapids, a noisy lawnmower, and a blazing fire as she tries to signal for help from strangers using only her eyes – it's the only part of her body that she can move once the sedative takes effect.
Asbille puts on a believable performance in displaying these intense emotions without physically showing them as she goes from a woman paralyzed with grief to literally being paralyzed. While the rules of what her body can and can't do does feel wobbly at times, it's still an immersive horror story full of suspense. As for Wittrock, he puts on a scene-stealing performance as maniacal serial killer 'Richard,' who has never been afraid to tap into his darker side thanks to his roles in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story and Ratched.
While there are some hard-hitting moments of violence, Don't Move doesn't go down as the best Netflix movie or the best horror movie. However, it certainly lives up to Schindler's comment he made in my exclusive interview with the Don't Move directors that "this movie is going to surprise people". Don't Move is an engaging and snappy Netflix movie that's perfect for some casual weekend viewing or some well-made pre-Halloween entertainment. It's available to watch right now on the best streaming service, so you don't even have to move to the cinema to watch it.
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